Page 14 of A Love Like That

During the walk, the kids talked nonstop about Ellie and all the things they were going to do together. I hadn’t seen them this excited in a long time, and I was even more glad I’d invited her to stay.

Even so, I worried—they were already growing attached. One day, months from now, she’d leave. And then I’d be left to pick up the pieces—again.

* * *

When we arrivedat Ellie’s parents’ house, I parked along the curb. The kids unbuckled themselves and headed up the path to the front door, knocking before Ellie and I had even finished getting out of the car.

At least someone’s excited to be here.

Ellie was clearly dragging her feet, fidgeting with her top, dreading the encounter.

“Should we have a secret signal?” I asked as we headed up the walkway to the large two-story Craftsman-style bungalow with a red door.

“A secret signal?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Yeah. You know—like you tap your nose if you want to bail.”

She tapped her nose.

I chuckled, hoping to make light of the situation. “We haven’t even stepped inside.”

“And yet—” She tapped her nose again. “I’m ready to bail.”

“I’m sure your parents will be happy to see you.”

She scoffed. “Doubtful.”

“Hey.” I placed my hand on her shoulder. “It’s just a dinner. One meal. And then we’ll go. It’ll be okay. Yeah?”

Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded. “I hope you’re right.”

As we approached the house, I could hear the kids talking with Gloria through the open door.

“Don’t you look nice?” Gloria said to Savannah.

“I wanted to look extra fancy because Auntie Ellie’s here.” Savannah’s voice rang with excitement.

Gloria glanced up at Ellie as we joined them. “Oh. Hello.” She almost sounded surprised that Ellie was joining us.

Ellie grasped the strap of her purse so tightly, I thought she might rip it. I glanced between the two women, trying to understand their dynamic.

Ellie nodded. “Hi, Mom.”

It struck me as odd that Gloria didn’t even move to hug her own daughter. She was always affectionate with Savannah and Maddox. Yet, a coldness stretched between Gloria and Ellie that seemed worse than ever before.

“Eleanor.” Gloria inclined her head toward the dining room. “Your father is through there.”

“Mm.” Eleanor didn’t make a move to head that direction or even step farther inside the house. For a minute, I wondered if she was going to leave.

“Glad you came, Tristan,” Gloria said to me. Then she smiled down at Savannah. “Why don’t you go see if Maddox and Pops need any help?”

“Okay!” Savannah said, skipping off.

“Aren’t you going to come in?” Gloria said to Ellie.

Ellie hesitated a moment before finally crossing the threshold. It was almost as if she had to physically push herself over the ledge and into the home.

“Thank you for taking the kids to get haircuts,” I said to Gloria, trying to defuse some of the tension.

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